Purpose

Bristol City Council (BCC) have accepted a
share of the national OHID-owned ‘Smokefree Generation’
grant which commits BCC to investing the full grant allowance on
smoking cessation interventions. It is not possible to invest any
further into Bristol’s smoking cessation service, and
alternative methods for intervention have been identified. One such
intervention has involved taking part in OHID’s national Swap
to Stop scheme along with system partners from Bristol, North
Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG). Swap to Stop is a
scheme whereby adults who smoke are provided with free
non-tobacco-industry-affiliated vapes are provided to adults as
part of a quit attempt. Vaping is now the most effective method for
smoking cessation. The national Swap to Stop scheme is due to end
on 31st March 2025.
To deliver the scheme locally, Bristol has also invested in
designing and building a website to maximise access to Swap to Stop
(whilst ensuring appropriate age verification is built in).
Additional funding has been provided to Health Champions to ensure
that communities facing the greatest risk of harm from smoking are
supported to access the scheme. The scheme has been designed in
partnership with local NHS Trusts and a bespoke pathway has been
created for them to support delivery to hospital staff, patients
and visitors. Further work is underway with key system partners to
ensure that inclusion health populations will also be able to
access Swap to Stop and thus ensure that some of Bristol’s
most vulnerable populations with the highest smoking prevalence are
supported to quit smoking with this free and effective
intervention.
In November 2024, all local authorities across the south west
– including Bristol- received notice from OHID that any of
the grant which was not spent by the end of December 2024 would be
reclaimed and the funding would be lost. As a result, a decision
was made to invest in an additional supply of vapes that would
enable Bristol to continue delivering Swap to Stop at scale to
Bristol residents beyond 31st March 2025. In doing so this would
ensure that Bristol residents are given the best chance possible to
access the scheme and quit smoking, maximise the impact of the
investment to date in designing and building the website and
funding the Health Champion scheme, and would satisfy the terms of
the grant conditions.
Purchasing an additional supply of vapes requires BCC to continue
to work with the incumbent vape provider, Totally Wicked. Totally
Wicked are an OHID-approved vape manufacturer who are not
affiliated with the tobacco industry and who have delivered to a
high standard for the duration of the national contract. Delivery
of Swap to Stop through Bristol’s Smoking Cessation Services,
online platform, and Health Champions has all been designed around
working with a specific model of vape and the procedures associated
with Totally Wicked’s age verification, online voucher
scheme, website, and product support processes. The quote that
Totally Wicked have provided is also very competitive – this
has been verified in consultation with other south west local
authorities. It would cost significant additional resource to cease
working with Totally Wicked and a redesign of the entire scheme.
Such resource is not available to Bristol or to BNSSG
partners.
This decision enables Bristol to continue delivering Swap to Stop
at scale to Bristol residents beyond 31st March 2025 when the
national scheme ends. In doing so this would ensure that Bristol
residents are given the best chance possible to access the scheme
and quit smoking, maximise the impact of the investment to-date in
designing and building the website and funding the Health Champion
scheme, and would satisfy the terms of the grant conditions.

Content

Approval to purchase an additional supply of
vapes from the incumbent vape provider, Totally Wicked, to support
the delivery of the Swap to Stop programme.